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1. Training on revised building and fire codes is being planned;
2. Elevators - Reporting accidents and Permit to Operate requirements;
3. Numbering changes major part of revision to manufactured/mobile home code;
4. More about keeping various types of plans at construction sites;
5. Black River Falls is trial exam site;
6. Wasilewski joins S&B;
7. New building plan reviewer in Shawano;
8. Agents have an important, expanding roles in building construction services;
9. Employment Opportunity - Fire Protection Engineer - The City of Madison;
10. New on the S&B WebSite, Fire Safety items;
11. Advertising space for continuing education classes;
12. S&B plan review staff has depth of knowledge to deal with complexity;
13. Website supports
Risk Watch, a child safety program;
14. Certified Municipalities
1. Training on revised building and fire codes is being planned
by J.B. Smith, Safety and Buildings Division Commercial Buildings Program Manager, 608-266-0251, jsmith@commerce.state.wi.us. We are on the verge of entering model code land and it's time for all of us to become familiar with the codes in that territory. As I write, a final draft commercial building and fire code change package is being reviewed by legislative committees. If the package is adopted by the Commerce Department, of which the Safety and Buildings Division is a part, new codes would go into effect in July 2002, based in part on national model International Code Committee (ICC) and National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) codes. Training sessions will get us on our way to successfully using revised codes in Wisconsin. Although the details may not be finalized on training opportunities Safety and Buildings Division and other groups will be offering, I thought I would mention what might be out there in the near future. If nothing else, I can provide you with some contacts for future information. S&B will focus its training efforts on its own staff, regulators, and code officials. Associations, educational entities, and other organizations are focusing on training the private sector about the new code territory. Some of S&B's training sessions will come in cooperation with four regional building inspector associations, which annually sponsor education-filled "March Updates." In 2002, the sessions coordinated between the associations and S&B will begin in January and extend into March, with three two-day sessions in each region. These sessions are being specifically geared for code officials, to get those responsible for enforcement up to speed as quickly as possible. Attendance may be limited. Code officials will be given priority above others. The sessions will be broken down into three two-day blocks of training. For budgeting purposes, we recommend allocating $720 ($120 for each day of session), which includes code book costs. Following is a tentative outline of the sessions:
Day One: International Building Code - Definitions, Occupancies, Mixed Occupancies, Hazardous Materials, etc.
Day Two: IBC - Construction Types, Height/Area, Fire Resistance, Exterior Walls/Roofs, Interior, etc.
Day Three: IBC - Egress and Accessibility.
Day Four: IBC - Structural.
Day Five: IBC - Fire Systems.
Day Six: Energy Conservation Code, International Mechanical Code, International Fuel Gas Code. Dan Meneguin, S&B Field Operations Fire Safety Section Chief, is making preparations for fire prevention code training this fall. I anticipate NFPA will provide fire code training throughout the state over the winter months. Details about dates and locations of seminars will be shared in future editions of the WBCR. The International Conference of Building Officials, Building Officials and Code Administrators International, and NFPA routinely have training sessions available throughout the United States. To check as to sessions nearest you, contact ICBO: www.icbo.org, 800-423-6587 (ext. 3418); BOCA: www.bocai.org, 708-799-2300; NFPA: www.nfpa.org, 617-770-0700. Jeff Lackney, of UW - Madison Engineering Professional Development, indicates they will be providing training this fall on model codes, probably in October in the Milwaukee area. This will be in addition to the annual "Wisconsin Building Code Refresher" held in Madison at the end of the winter. Details for the fall session(s) may be available by the time you read this. For information on UW training opportunities, contact them, 800-462-0876 or 608-262-2061. The City of Milwaukee looks to host a training program on the ICC codes this fall, possibly in partnership with some other entities. For more information, contact Chris Rute, 414-286-3018. Bob Barker with Associated General Contractors of Wisconsin indicates they are considering sponsoring or co-sponsoring some training efforts this winter. Check with him at 608-221-3821. Another group is the American Institute of Architects - Wisconsin, a group that provided several sessions on the subject over the course of the last six months. Bill Babcock indicates some of the AIA Wisconsin chapters have been looking into providing or sponsoring more training sessions on Wisconsin's revised codes. For details on their efforts, check out their website, www.aiaw.org, or call 608-257-8477. Anyone interested in providing or sponsoring a training effort can consider getting their efforts approved for continuing education credit for people holding credentials from S&B. Information on the process of submitting to S&B for continuing education credit approval is available from the S&B Credentialing Unit, 608-261-8500, madisoncred@commerce.state.wi.us. If you want to discuss the process of the new codes going into place, especially the training, you can contact me, Jim Smith, as noted above, or you can contact S&B's Agent Monitor, Henry Kosarzycki, hkosarzycki@commerce.state.wi.us, 262-548-8615.
2. Elevators - Reporting accidents and Permit to Operate requirements
by Dave Holmes, S&B Elevator Inspector, and Rick Merkle, S&B Bureau of Field Operations Elevator Section Chief, umerkle@commerce.state.wi.us, 608-266-3037 The owner or management person in control of any elevator, escalator, or other mechanical lifting device covered in Comm 18, the Wisconsin Elevator Code, is required to report any accident to the Safety and Buildings Division within 48 hours. In order to ensure public safety, we need to know of possible problems with regulated equipment. Municipal officials, fire officials, and designers can be helpful by providing information to owners and building operations staff about the requirement to report accidents . What is considered an accident? If elevator equipment or the installation is physically involved in an incident in which an injury occurs, it is an accident to be reported. For example, if a person trips and falls while entering or exiting an elevator and sustains an injury, this is an accident to be reported. Even if a person were to deliberately override one of the numerous safety devices and causes injury, this is an accident to be reported. If a person is trapped in an elevator due to loss of power, and there is no injury; that is not an accident to be reported. Today's elevators are some of the safest forms of transportation. Like any other type of equipment, there may be the occasional malfunction or mis-installation which might result in an injury to the user. There is a need to report any accidents as soon as they happen, to provide information to be considered in relation to other elevators in the state. The report can go to me, Rick Merkle, Elevator Section Chief, via contact points as noted above, at S&B's main general number 608-266-3151, or at Safety and Buildings Division, PO Box 2538, Madison, WI 53701. For more information, if I'm not available, someone can contact one of the elevator inspectors. Comm. 18.11 Accident reporting. (1) ACCIDENTS TO BE REPORTED. Whenever an elevator or other installation covered by this chapter causes injury to any person, the owner or person in control of the elevator shall notify the department within 48 hours of the accident. The report shall include the date and time of the accident, the location of the elevator or device involved in the accident, and a description of the accident.
(2) OPERATION DISCONTINUED. When an accident involves the failure or destruction [of] an elevator or other installation covered by this chapter and results in injury to a person who requires immediate medical attention, the elevator or device shall be taken out of service and shall not be used again until authorized by the department.
(3) REMOVAL OF PARTS RESTRICTED. No part of the damaged installation, construction or operating mechanism shall be removed from the premises until the department grants permission. FYI, Permits to Operate: Comm. 18.12 requires the owner of any equipment covered by Comm 18, the Elevator Code, to obtain and maintain a valid Permit to Operate. One requirement of the permit is that the equipment must be regularly inspected by a state-certified inspector. Owners or their agents may contact state inspectors for the original "acceptance" inspection, and after that may deal with private inspectors for post-installation regular inspections.
3. Numbering changes major part of revisions to manufactured/mobile homes codes
by Laurence Swaziek, Program Manager, 608-267-7701, Lswaziek@commerce.state.wi.us Effective August 1, 2001, codes administered by the Safety and Buildings Division pertaining to manufactured/mobile homes will have new numbers and some slight changes. In July 2000, by legislative mandate, the Safety and Buildings Division began enforcing the manufactured home codes relative to mobile home park licensing, manufactured home dealer licensing, and manufactured home salesperson licensing. These rules were previously administered by the Department of Administration and were identified as "Adm" rules. With the transfer of enforcement and administration of these rules to S&B in the Department of Safety and Professional Services, it has come the time to change the Adm rules to "Comm" rules, the prefix used by Commerce. Since there are already Comm rules with the numbers previously used under the Adm system - Comm 66, Multi-Family, and Comm 67, Rental Weatherization - the manufactured home rules had to be moved to another numbering series. The 90 series was selected. To try to minimize the confusion, the secondary numbers were retained - Adm 65, 66, 67, and 68 become Comm 95, 96, 97, and 98, respectively. When changing the Adm codes to the Comm codes there were not only the number changes, but also some slight changes to the code language itself. Some changes included items such as referencing Commerce instead DOA, and corrections to some of the referenced statutory sections. Codes are available electronically on the state Revisor of Statutes' website, which can be accessed from S&B's WebSite, http://www.commerce.state.wi.us/SB/SB-DivCodesListing2001.html. Paper copies of the codes can be purchased from state Document Sales, sold as a set, 608-266-3358, or 800-362-7253, for credit card purchases, http://ids.doa.state.wi.us/ppms/DocSales.html. When ordering, ask for Comm 95 - 98, "Manufactured/Mobile Home Parks, Sellers and Dealers."
4. More about keeping various types of plans at construction sites
Last month's WBCR article addressing requirements for approved various plans to be kept at construction sites did not mention several important items that were pointed out by one of the Safety and Buildings Division's municipal agents. Commercial construction sites with land disturbance of more than five acres must have erosion control plans at the site available for review by the building inspector upon request. Where automatic fire sprinkler systems are to be installed or altered, sprinkler plans and specifications shall be present at the job site and made available upon request, to Safety and Buildings Division staff, our agents, or local governmental agencies exercising jurisdiction. When a project involves the alteration or addition of 20 or fewer sprinkler heads to an existing automatic fire sprinkler system, sprinkler plans shall not be required unless required by local ordinance. When sprinkler plans and specifications are not provided, the contractor responsible for the work shall provide a written description available to inspectors upon request. Finally, lighting plans shall also made available upon request. While lighting plans are no longer included in pre-construction state building plan review submittals, calculations to determine code compliance still need to be done by designers and must be made available upon request by state or local inspectors.
5. Black River Falls is trial S&B exam site
Black River Falls is a new exam site for Safety and Buildings Division credentials, with the sessions at the Arrowhead Lodge, Highways 94 and 54. On a trial basis, exams will be held there on October 10, February 6 (2002), April 10, and June 5, for people who register in advance. Other S&B exam sites are in Madison, Milwaukee, and Wausau, all of which have exams held each month. For more information, or to register for an exam, contact the S&B Credentialing Unit, 608-261-8500, madisoncred@commerce.state.wi.us.
6. Wasilewski joins S&B
Sandra Wasilewski, an 11-year volunteer firefighter, has joined the Safety and Buildings Division in a part time position in the Inspection and Safety Support Section of the Bureau of Field Operations in Madison. Her telephone number is 608-266-8230, her email address swasilewski@commerce.state.wi.us.
7. New building plan reviewer in Shawano
Adam Muliawan is now a commercial buildings plan reviewer in the Safety and Buildings Division Shawano office. A member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Muliawan previously worked for Control Solutions as a direct digital control applications engineer. Muliawan can be reached by telephone, 715-526-9019, or by email, amuliwan@commerce.state.wi.us.
8. Agents have an important, expanding role in building construction services
by Henry Kosarzycki, S&B Agent Monitor, 262-548-8615, hkosarzycki@commerce.state.wi.us For a number of years now, the Safety and Buildings Division has recognized that municipalities could provide owners, designers, and contractors a single source of plan review and inspection service through their municipal building inspection departments. By certifying local building officials as agents of the Department of Safety and Professional Services, of which S&B is a part, plan review and inspection by local officials could be provided in a timely manner, without duplication of efforts. The role of an agent under the "certified municipality" definition gave local officials the opportunity to act not only as the building authority under municipal ordinance, but also the authority for state review and inspection. Another step for efficient and timely service was taken last fall with expanded delegation options made available to municipalities to provide additional service for projects within their jurisdiction. These are the "Second Class City" and "Appointed Agent" delegations. Projects located within certified or agent municipalities are regulated by the municipal building department for the state building code, as well as municipal ordinance. This gives the local official the opportunity to provide local projects with a single source to assist through the complexities of commercial development. Municipalities that are not certified agents rely on the services of the Safety and Buildings Division to provide plan review as well as inspection specific to the state building code, where the local official enforces the municipal ordinance. Building permit issuance, as well as certificates of occupancy, are under the authority of the local building official. To obtain specific information regarding agent status of any municipalities located in the Wisconsin, please visit the Safety and Buildings WebSite, http://www.commerce.state.wi.us/SB/SB-CommercialBuildingsCertifiedMunicipalities.html or contact me, Henry Kosarzycki, as noted above.
9. Employment Opportunity - Fire Protection Engineer - The City of Madison
The Fire Protection Engineer independently manages the Fire Protection Engineering Unit of the Fire Prevention Division under the general guidance of the Fire Marshal. This is responsible, professional, and supervisory work in developing and implementing fire protection engineering programs and services. Work primarily involves directing the department's plan review, new construction inspection, and high hazard occupancy inspection programs (including staff supervision and program management); and providing technical expertise and consultation on a wide variety of fire protection engineering issues. The position is characterized by considerable judgment and discretion. Acceptable qualifications include: two years of experience in professional fire protection engineering work or a closely related field and a bachelor's degree in fire protection engineering or technology. Other combinations of training and/or experience, which can be demonstrated, to result in the possession of the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to perform the duties of this position will be considered. Salary range: $52,956-$63,704. Applications and additional information can be obtained at www.ci.madison.wi.us/hr/jobopen.html or contact the City Human Resources Dept. at 210 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Madison, WI 53709; 608-266-6500: Fax 608-267-1115. Applications will be accepted until 4:30pm on August 31, 2001 For more information, contact Madison Fire Marshal Ed Ruckriegel at 608-266-4457 or eruckreigel@ci.madison.wi.us.
10. New on the S&B WebSite are an index of most of the fire-safety related articles in the WBCR since 1997, and a page providing information about the Two Percent Fire Dues Program. You will find links to those items close to the top of the S&B Home Page, www.commerce.state.wi.us/sb.
11. Advertising space for continuing education classes
Advertising space is available in the Safety and Buildings Division codes reports for continuing education classes approved by the division. (The division reviews the content and provide a written approval of classes for people who have con ed responsibilities for their S&B license, registration, or certification.) The Wisconsin Building Codes Report is delivered monthly to about 4,300 frequent plan submitters, inspectors, fire chiefs, and fire sprinkler credential holders. The Wisconsin Plumbing Codes Report is a monthly publication delivered to about 9,900 people as part of their plumbing certification, license, or registration with the Safety and Buildings Division. Advertising can be either a free classified-type ad or paid display ad space. Example of a classified ad: "How to Build a Pyramid in 24 Hours; December 31, 2001, Luxor, Egypt; There is a fee; Approved for 24 hours con ed credit for UDC-Inspectors; Contact Tut, 333-444-5555." For more information on continuing education class approval , contact S&B's Credentialing Unit, 608-267-3606, madisoncred@commerce.state.wi.us For more information on advertising , contact Todd Taylor, S&B editor, 608-267-3606, Todd.Taylor@Wisconsin.gov
12. S&B plan review staff has depth of knowledge to deal with complexity
by Henry Kosarzycki, S&B Agent Monitor, 262-548-8615, hkosarzycki@commerce.state.wi.us I think commercial construction industry continues to become more complex. Design standards and engineering technology, as well as practice and construction methods on site, all coupled with changing regulatory codes, require a depth of knowledge among private sector and governmental staff. The Safety and Buildings Division looks to meet this challenge by providing the services of a diverse review staff. S&B has six review offices located around the state: Green Bay, Hayward, La Crosse, Madison, Shawano ,and Waukesha. In the six offices, among the varied S&B programs, are 29 commercial building plan reviewers, and two fire protection system reviewers. Of those twenty nine reviewers, there are currently eleven professional engineers, four architects, one registered designer, and one engineer in training. Expertise in the fields of structural engineering, mechanical engineering, energy, fire protection, and accessibility all come together to make up the network of review staff. S&B can provide designers with contacts based on specific educational and professional training, as well as professional affiliation. Individual reviewers also consult each other internally when addressing specific design issues. Currently, the staff has reviewers with degrees in architectural, structural, mechanical, and civil engineering. Professional affiliations include the Wisconsin Society of Professional Engineers, American Institute of Architects, ASME, ASHRAE, as well as a host of other similar organizations. Structural and mechanical engineering principals, as well as methods, evolve based on performance and the economics of our building industry. Energy efficient structures also play a leading role when determining commercial building envelope and operational energy use. The science and engineering of fire protection systems continues to change and improve as we design safer buildings for occupants and rescue personnel. Also, the design and construction of structures accessible to all must be addressed and understood.
13. Website supports Risk Watch, a child safety program
There is now a website on child-safety issues that supports Risk Watch, an injury prevention program for children in preschool through grade eight. The site, www.riskwatch.org, is supported by the National Fire Protection Association. Risk Watch works to make children safer from preventable injuries, which reportedly kill more than 7,000 children each year, and permanently disable more than 120,000. The website demonstrates safety basics in the program's eight risk areas: motor vehicle safety; fire and burn prevention; choking, suffocation and strangulation prevention; poisoning prevention; falls prevention; firearms injury prevention; bike and pedestrian safety; and water safety.
14. Certified Municipalities